Bombing of Darwin

The bombing of Darwin occurred on 19 February 1942 when the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service bombed the northern Australian city of Darwin during World War II. The Japanese intended to demoralize the Australian public by bombing the northern parts of the continent, targeting military vessels, merchant ships (including pearling luggers), and industrial complexes. 242 Japanese aircraft bombed the city in two waves, preventing the Allied Powers from using Darwin as an airbase to resist the Japanese occupation of the Dutch East Indies. 236 Australians were killed and 400 wounded in the bombing, and the Japanese succeeded in demoralizing the Allies; some feared that Australia would be invaded. From 1942 to 1943, the Japanese would bomb Australia more than 100 times, but Darwin was the largest (and first) of these attacks.